


i'm coming home to you (every night)

by ominousbears



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Multi, it's soft babes, married au, what else can i say lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 14:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18813046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ominousbears/pseuds/ominousbears
Summary: The Azzuharas are often a rather taxing group to handle for so long, especially by one's self. Atis comes home after a long time away and finds her favorite people, both of whom know exactly what her family can be like, awake and ready to pamper her.





	i'm coming home to you (every night)

**Author's Note:**

> come hang out with me on [tumblr](http://ominousbears.tumblr.com/) or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ominousbears) ✌
> 
> or, talk to me more about arcana-specific stuff on [my arcana sideblog](http://apprentauli.tumblr.com/) 💖

Atis is a healer in all aspects; she's used to scanning and nursing and being there for others. Therefore when she gets home, she pauses before the door, gathering courage to come in and ask how everything was while she was gone, ready to hear about the patients they're gonna have to work extra hard with because of her absence and the time they're gonna have to spend on going shopping for materials and whichever new ghost is haunting the city  _ this _ time.

She takes a moment to ease her breathing, because things might be stressful and her family fighting over Wata's new projects to change rules of the clan isn't making it any better, but there's Tauli and Julian. And that's all she needs to know. Once she closes that door, she's going to be reunited with their voices, their familiar gestures. She's gonna be able to kiss any worried frown away, to hold any shaking hand in reassurance, to crack a joke when everything feels like it's too much, and immediately feel butterflies when they laugh in return. Because that's what they do, with Julian's loud voice and Tauli's ringing giggles; even after one, almost two years, she still can't hold back a fond, absolutely enamored smile when they show her their own. That simple thought is what gives her the strength to push the door and come in. "I'm home!" she yells through the now-open doorway.

She's ready for gossip, whines, teasing, casual news, complaints. The usual. She's most definitely  _ not  _ ready for  _ this _ .

They’re waiting, when she first sees them as they stand from the couch in the living room. That fact alone isn’t something grand or out of the ordinary; they're usually waiting when she gets home late, and so is she -- more than once she's come home to Tauli fast asleep on Julian's lap, surrounded by a bunch of empty coffee mugs in an attempt to stay awake, which she and Julian both then teased her about for weeks.

But this is different. There's no books in the way, no greetings in the middle of doing other chores, no quick kisses before bed. Instead there’s empty hands, both of them in sleepwear, and no paperwork in sight. They were waiting,  _ waiting _ , for  _ her _ . When they hug her and shower her in a bunch of welcoming words she doesn't really process, she doesn't respond,  _ can’t  _ respond -- though she brings Tauli closer by the waist, grips Julian's shirt a little tighter -- because she knows if she makes a single sound she's going to start crying. She’s hyper-aware of Julian's familiar form around her shoulders, of Tauli's breath low and warm against her skin, their hands, their smiles, the way their fingers just fit together when they usher her upstairs…

By all that's holy, she missed them  _ so _ much.

They finally reach the upper landing after what feels like a hundred years and no time whatsoever all at the same time, and her heart soars into her throat, making her choke up just that little bit more, when she sees that their room has been all but entirely rearranged so that the bed now sits snug in a corner so that the million pillows and blankets pulled from various parts of the house don’t topple over the sides down onto the floor. Her chest grows tighter yet tighter when they gently sit her down and find suitable positions for themselves around her, Tauli on one side and Julian on the other, until the first tear falls from her eye and she can’t hold back anymore, the floodgates within her bursting open.

Yet they don’t flinch away when she breaks down into tears, covering her own face with her hands as her skin goes splotchy and red - she’s never been a pretty crier, after all. They exchange a silent look over her head, and gently pull her backwards into the pillows and blankets without a word. Julian sits back first so that Atis can lay against him, all flat planes and angles though he may be, and Tauli curls up by her side, all soft curves and edges as she rests a warm hand against Atis’s cheek, wiping away every tear as they fall with a soft touch and pressing a softer kiss to every trail they leave behind. The warmth of her lovers’ gestures only serves to make her sob harder, so overcome by emotion, but more than anything, just so, _ so _ glad she’s finally home with them.

They lay like that for as long as it takes for the tides to ebb, for Atis’s weeping to come to a close, and when they finally do, Tauli sits up silently and reaches for a glass of water that Atis hadn’t noticed before, one that must have been sitting there before she’d even arrived home. She laughs when Tauli then presses the glass into her hands. "You just  _ knew _ this was gonna happen, didn't you?" she asks teasingly, even as she takes it from her. Her wife says nothing in response, just gives a happy hum of a giggle and smiles wider, eyes crinkling at the corners from the force of it.

Atis raises the glass to her lips to drink, but has to stop when she realises that they’re both watching her, as if they think she won’t drink unless they make sure she does. She snorts into her cup, fixing them each with a look as she mutters, “Don't look at me like that, I can't drink, you're making me laugh." Tauli and Julian exchange a look then, one that clearly says “ _ okay, she’s feeling better now _ .”

Julian, drama queen that he is, throws up his free arm (the one that’s not pinned down by Atis’s body). “Tauli, what are we _thinking_!” he exclaims, his one eye uncovered by his patch wide with mirth and feigned surprise. “We can’t just _scrutinize_ her like _this_! Avert your _eyes_ , darling, give the woman some _privacy_!” All three of them are laughing, even as he and Tauli do in fact look away and Atis takes a few sips of her water with a low chuckle. She even catches the barest glimpse of a mischievous smirk on his face when she leans over to place the cup back on the table with a quiet _clunk._

Julian turns back to her once he’s heard that she’s finished and rests his hands on her shoulders, shooting her a small smile. “You still feel tense though, darling. Why don’t you lie down and I’ll give you a massage? You  _ know _ I give the best ones.”

She bristles a bit then, muscles tensing under his touch and knowing that he feels it too, just based on the way his smile falters ever so slightly. "No, no, you really don't have to, I'm-"

But he cuts her off and tilts his head away from her, maintaining eye contact all the while. "Tauli, would you be a dear and do the honors?” he asks, a smirk growing on his face. “She's not cooperating."

Atis makes the mistake, then, of looking back over her shoulder to Tauli, because she’s greeted by the biggest, sappiest puppy dog eyes look she’s ever been given, her wife’s eyes practically glistening, and Atis is able to hold out for all of two seconds before she heaves a huge sigh and readjusts her position to lay down on the mattress, rolling her eyes in jest when Tauli gives a snicker in response.

She lets out a soft "Oh wait!" then, and scrambles off the bed to sit at the foot of it, pulling a pillow with her as she goes and sitting it down on it. She pats the end of the mattress gently as she looks back up at the two of them, though her attention rests on Atis moreso than Julian. "Lay down up here,” she urges with a smile, “it'll be easiest for me to play with your hair if we sit here."

So Atis shuffles up to the end of the bed, resting her head on her forearms as she watches Tauli, slowly and methodically braiding her silky, white hair. Occasionally, she glances up to give a quiet laugh and a small blush when she sees her staring softly, entranced by the level of concentration she exhibits; it only serves to make them both smile just a bit wider.

It's quiet in their shared bedroom for a few minutes longer, while everyone absorbs and enjoys the gentle, comforting silence, before Julian clears his throat quietly. “So, uh,” he begins, as if he doesn’t quite know how to start, “what all happened on your trip, darling? You seem mighty tense.”

And Tauli interjects, sparing her wife a quick glance before getting back to her braiding; “Of course, that’s only if you want to talk about it, love, we wouldn't ever make you do anything you don't want to do, you know that.”

Julian nods, an action Atis can barely see out of the corner of her eye as she looks backward. “Right, of course!” he agrees, letting his hands slow as they glide across her back, still digging into the muscle every so often. “I just thought that it would be good for you to get any grievances off your chest, since all of us know how…  _ taxing _ , they can be. And you know we’re always here to listen, darling.”

Atis can feel a knot tighten in her throat. She knew she was going to have to talk about it eventually. It's not like she can hide anything from them. It's not like she even  _ wants _ to. She weighs the possibility of telling them it's not the right time, but... Tauli's braiding her hair. The same way she did to her, all those weeks ago, working through her locks as carefully as she is while wiping her tears, casual and relaxed despite her big beautiful eyes being narrowed in focus. And Julian's fingers still linger, brushing her upper back (even though he's stopped moving, obviously expecting an answer, the contact is still comforting). She reconsiders. They're here -- relaxed, attentive, and aware. She could leave the talk for later, sure, but she can't think of a better time than now.

So she shifts her position and starts talking, scarcely able to stop as it all pours out of her. Wata was named the new matriarch after mamá Julnar joined the Elders' assembly, she tells them, and she has a lot of plans, a lot of changes, good ideas, but maybe  _ too _ many. She begins the story in a bitter tone, remembering the arguments, the tension, the late night talks, but as they both listen, comment and understand, she finds herself telling other bits and pieces of the trip she hadn't even thought twice about. There are new children back at home. Du'lo is coming back to settle in Vesuvia. She came across an acquaintance from Mazelinka's crew on the way home. She picked some seashells one morning because she thought they would match Tauli's eyes as a necklace.

As she continues, Tauli senses that tension from earlier, that bitterness coiled tight within Atis, and she sees it loosening with every word that falls from her lips; she's overjoyed that Atis is able to rid herself of these grievances (happier, really, that she's home more than anything else, because by all the stars above did she miss her wife), so Tauli scooches closer and presses a soft kiss to her nose mid-sentence, propping her head up on her forearms to listen more closely.

Julian as well, during some point in her monologue, has shifted position to lay down next to Atis and rubs a hand flat along her back, encouraging her to continue. He takes Tauli's free hand as well since it’s available, the latter having already halted her braiding, just to keep a quiet hold on the two of them.

As Atis speaks (as they listen) she realizes... it hasn't been that bad. She was stressed, and she missed her spouses dearly, but that's all over now -- they're here, with her, and more than ever she realizes to what extent these two make everything in her life a hundred times better. She trails off then, her tale finished, and they're all left laying there in a comforting silence as they all hold each other in one way or another. Another tear escapes Atis's eye out of sheer relief; Tauli wipes it away again without a word.

Without warning, Julian sits up with a start. "Oh! The food we made!” he exclaims, looking straight as Tauli, who looks back at him with an equally (if not more) shocked expression. “We  _ forgot _ about it!"

He hauls himself up an inch off the bed, starting to get up and go take care of it, but Tauli puts a hand on his, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "No, you're okay sweetheart, I've got it,” she tells him, smiling sweetly as she stands up off the ground with a quiet grunt. “Would you make sure our lovely wife is comfortable while I’m gone, though?" She gives each of their knuckles a soft kiss as she leaves, padding downstairs as quiet as can be.

Julian and Atis exchange a soft look after she’s gone (she’s as cute as ever, right?), but before Atis can say anything, he scoops her up into his arms and falls backwards against the mountain of pillows with a soft _ pof  _ sound, chuckling at her surprised squawk of indignation. He doesn't let go of her even after they've settled, choosing instead to press featherlight kisses into the side of her neck. (it seems he's forgotten to shave recently though, so the scruff on his face tickles hers; they both laugh when she reflexively scrunches up against him). Atis gives no complaints to it, aside from one or two half-hearted “ _ stoooop _ ”s, because really, she’s missed this too much to complain a whole lot.

They're interrupted, though, when Tauli comes back up the stairs much more carefully than normal, now carrying three bowls of Atis's favorite soup in her arms all balanced precariously on top of one another, and meets their gazes with a smile. "I didn't want to just put it away," she explains a little sheepishly as she hands them each a steaming bowl, warmed once more by her magic, "And I know I'm a bit hungry myself,  _ ahaha. _ "

Julian, still holding Atis firm in his arms, scooches over an inch or so to open up a space for Tauli, which she graciously ducks into, resting her head against Atis's side as she picks up her spoon and digs in (though not before her husband and wife do; old habits die hard).

They're quiet again then, save for a few appreciative hums from Atis and some responding giggles and chuckles from Tauli and Julian respectively, though when they finish, Tauli quietly moves to collect the bowls and set them downstairs again, but Julian stops her with a simple wave of a hand, gently moving Atis into her lap and taking them himself; she brought them their meal, he tells her, so he can put it away for them.

Tauli sighs and tucks her face into the crook of Atis's neck, tightening her hold around her middle as she settles into her arms. "I'm glad you're back, dearest," she murmurs after a moment, quiet enough so that Atis almost has to strain to hear. "I missed you a lot. Ilya did too, of course, that's not me saying he didn't, you know that. It's just... it felt like you were gone for so  _ long _ , and it just didn't feel the same without you, love, working in the shop, or making deliveries to the clinic and getting to see your shining face alongside Ilya's because you weren't expecting me... and the bed too, it felt  _ different _ , with you gone." She looks up at Atis then, who’s beginning to get a little teary-eyed again even though she’d just been able to dry her eyes, and kisses her softly, her expression overflowing with love and adoration only, not a trace of resentment or ill will visible. "We've got to find a way to go with you next time, alright?" she whispers, lifting her knuckles to her lips and pressing a light kiss to them.

Atis opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, Julian steps back into the room, arms now devoid of any dishes or cutlery. Tauli extends her free hand to him as he approaches, which he takes without hesitation, and gently pulls him into the bed with them. He falls overdramatically, unceremoniously, (harmlessly) on top of them, making them all laugh loudly as he quietly tucks in behind Atis, effectively trapping her in the space between him and their wife. He drapes one of those long, skinny arms over her middle as well, as if to tell her without words that  _ “you’re finally home, and you’re not leaving again. _ ” Almost as an afterthought, he tugs one of the near-countless blankets out from beneath his own body and throws it over all of them, making sure everyone is warm enough before he himself tucks his head into the back of Atis's neck and letting himself fall asleep (for a man who sleeps so little, sleeps so lightly, he’s sure out pretty quickly).

Atis and Tauli exchange a silent look, a look of love and appreciation for their husband (and also for each other, though that almost certainly goes without saying), as they tuck into one another once more, pressing sleepy kisses into each others’ temples and collarbones respectively.

That night, all three of them achieve the best sleep any of them have tried to gain since Atis left those few weeks ago.


End file.
